season 2 star has opened up about his experiences with prejudice as a feminine queer man.

Smith, who is set to play social media manager Harris Drover in the second season, discussed the social pressures he has faced as a Black queer man, including feeling the need to adopt more masculine traits after coming out.

Taking to today (26 October), the actor sparked an “in-house” conversation about gender expression and masculinity.

Justice Smith opens up about femininity and masculinity

Smith spoke about the liberation he felt when he embraced his femininity as a man. He credited the women in his life with helping him define his own version of masculinity, describing it as “my ability to speak my mind, my ability to assert myself, my loudness, my ability to take action”.

Meanwhile, his father helped him embrace traits traditionally associated with femininity, including softness, vulnerability, strength and creativity.

“When I realised I was queer, I felt this public social acceptance to embrace that femininity, which was powerful, especially because, as a Black man, there are heightened pressures to be hypermasculine,” he explained.

Smith says he was accused of “lying” when he showed more traditionally masculine traits

After coming out, Smith said he was criticised when he wanted to embrace more traditionally masculine traits, with others accusing him of “lying”, being “disingenuous” or being “self-hating” as a queer man.

He also shared his thoughts on where this prejudice comes from. “As we know, the root of homophobia is sexism. It’s the dismissal and dehumanisation of women and femininity,” he said.

Smith argued that this attitude has damaged the idea of healthy masculinity. He suggested that pressure on queer men to conform to masculine expectations can create a restrictive view of gender expression within the community.

He encourages a balance

This, he explained, can lead queer men to “bristle” at those who present in a masculine way, viewing their expression as a form of regression.

“And in doing so, we dismiss masculinity as a negative entirely,” Smith said. “And in doing that, we are creating a similar restriction of gender expression that we were subjected to on the other side.”

Ultimately, Smith believes everyone should be free to find their own balance of masculine and feminine qualities, allowing people to develop a more positive relationship with how others express themselves.

Smith in season 2

Smith was announced earlier this year as Harris Drover in season 2, alongside Charlie Gillespie as Troy Barrett.

Drover is an openly gay social media manager for the Ottawa Centaurs ice hockey team, while Troy is a closeted player whose relationship with Harris develops from bullying into romance.